Excavating equipment



June s, 1944. 1 w. M. HuswN 2,350,762'

ExcAvATING EQUIPMENT Filed Aug. 20, 1942 '4, INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented June 6, 19h44 ',AWilliam M. Huston, Ohio sie' etere-o0, 1era-serial .Ne ,essere e oeims- (Cini-.1.45)

inversor restes sie smentire. equip- `r1A Yfthepovver ,einveniioo is esioeeiellr .Concerned with e novel" type' of connection between .the clipper and henne, prev fre' 'essere' irrevemerit .of .the dipper .yy th` respect to the Vl'yiandle arid/9i" for shock absorptie) or cushioning, of besessen eresie e .rre .ee eener-reel die.' r

" oe `with the:.ilsiiall prior-practice, me ted :resserrerreinen n tionj As a result, ,in 1.1i- Where ,Conf en shoots "or lc`ads'"arc2fr'fq nariciejteriqm the handle. For' in-v stan@ a.' heavy .1aed of iff elften frese-lis from the' lxrelieineef .loner .tooth vlon: .n ofsuoh. loads so the diiefheridle damage to sind even ,failure ,0,f iflierer emile! magnitude of such twisting loads ha's'als'o resulted damage to pr failure of the shipper .shaft assembly YAby which thenanale amounted oli the usual bqom ses eres of Useloos. f

T01 meel Severe dissipe Veoridiiions, .such es those deseribed'abova@reinvention provides s no l forli-remises# mounting .affording freedem' nur ,twisting ,or swivel migy rrioyerrierit'ofv the dieser with s" oie-mounting .are rake brace it, relatiyeto the dipper handle, ng transmI ssiqn ofV twisting loads o; freedom twisting tomeiieellr .accommosts its ppsition, in accord- .......lilor distribution of .digging load en. `entered bytheesev -rei1.olinloer teeth, esiieoie lr .in "ooordeee'e with. substantial meer: ences 'iii load between teeth toward .opposite tildes itiheiiimer- In excavations underless severe conditions, ex-Y tensive freedom'for twisting ofl the dipper'may not be required or desirable. Therefore, forzthe more ordinaryV excavating conditions, the invention contemplates the employment of means limiting the freedom for twisting movement of the clipper to a relatively small angular range.

Still further, the invention provides a cushioning or shock absorption mechanism associated With the dipper mounting, so as to cushion shocks and loads and thereby avoid transmission thereof to the dipper handle and therefrom to the shipper shaft assembly and the boom.

.In Aeleoor.dance with another aspect of the Yerition, the stop means and .the yielding aloserntion means are .arranged aforreaoiy placement, so as to provide 0for operation el natively ,either with or without the stop' and the shoot absorber. -Bythis eoliiist equipment `may readily :loe modied to .me ferentexcavating circumstances. How the .foregoing .and other .objects lnidadi/enteses are attained .will appear more ,i 1 from the .following description, referring fto these; Qompariyinedrawing, in Which-.f y

Figure 1 is a side elevational yiew o f aa, Clipper and of the .extremity .of the .dippervhandl which l.the .dinner is mounted, the mo`L mechanism being Aarrange d in accordance y this. invention;

Figure 2 is a View of the extremity ofthe clipper handle taken as indicated by the line y2.-,2 ,on Figure `1;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view as indicated by the line 31,3 on Figure 1;- and f' Figure 4 is a View similar to Figure-Beirut with certain parts displaced and removed; 'described `fully hereinafter. i

assembly, in accordance with usual practice, Jprof vision being made for the several normal func-,-

tions, such as boom hoist, dipper hoist, crowding,

and retract.

A sleeve or swivel casting 'I is mounted for no: tative movement adjacent the extremity of the clipper handle, this sleeve carrying apertured lugs or brackets 8,-3 adapted to be pinned to the' clipper as at .9. Additional apertured bracketsor lugs suchas indicated at IB, maybe employed as an anchorage for rake brace I I which extends. therefrom to the dipper, being pinned to. the dipper at I2 coaxially with the axis of the. hinge mounting for theA clipperl door I3. VThus the any gle of vertical adjustment .of the clipper on y'its' handle (about pivot axis 9) is determined :and nxed by the rake brace means, in the knavgn manner; Ybut the several parts, including said brace means, canrock as a unit about the longituff.4 dinal axis of the dipper handle, by virtue of their being mounted on the swivel sleeve 'I.

When dipper teeth, especially an outside tooth such as indicated at I4, become wedged under a rock or the like, thereby setting up a force tending to twist the dipper, the mounting of the 65 clipper on the sleeve 'I permits freedom for correhandle. Similarly, retract loads are transmittedL to the handle 6 by means of thrust ring I6.

A removable key I1, constituting abutment means for limiting the range of swivelling or twisting'movement ofthe dipper, isv adapted to be inserted through apertures such'as indicated at I8`in Figure 4 formed in the dipper handle ber for movement about an axis which permits i. The swivel casting 1 is provided with op-iy posed pairs of sockets I9-I9 which arev spaced from each other to receive the projecting 'ends of key I1. Parts I9 and the projecting ends of the key, therefore, serve `as ,stops limiting swivelling or twisting movement of the casting 'I with respect to the dipper handle. seen in Figure 3, pairs of opposed compression springs are arranged in sockets I9, being retained by through boltsv 2 I, with thrust washers 22 toward opposite ends serving as reaction abutments -for the springs 20. The bolts 2l extend through somewhat enlarged apertures' in the projecting ends of key I1 and the compression springs bear against the key, thereby normally urging the swivel casting 1 to a mid position.

"As hereinbefore indicated, the limiting stops and shock absorption means are readily removable, this being accomplished merely by Withdrawing boltsV 2|, after which springs 20 and key 'I1 may be taken out.

vAs best 'In'raccordance with the foregoing, when it is V desired-to provide extensive freedom for twisting 'movement of the dipper, for instance in order to meet the severe conditions of digging in rock, the shock absorption springs and the key I1 are removed, leaving the mounting for the dipper in the form indicated in Figure 4. Under these conditions, substantially complete fre'e'donir` for twisting movement of the dipper is provided. l For less severedigging conditions it is contemplated that the abutment key andy shock abso'rption springs shall be assembled as indicated in-j' Figure v3, in which condition limited freedom for twisting ofthe dipper is provided, and at the same time the shock absorption springs serve to` cushion any shocks or loads which would otherwise tend to impose severe twisting strains on the dipper handle.

The invention, therefore, is capable of meeting a variety of conditions, it being of especial advantagethat under all conditions at least some freedom; for twisting or swivelling of the dipper is permitted, thereby relieving the handle of twisting loads, and also relieving the boom and shipper shaftassembly of corresponding undesired. forces. i

I claim:

1.'In excavating equipment ofthe type having a, boom, a dipper, and a dipper handle or stick, which latter is Worked from the boom, a dipper supporting member rotatably mounted on the dipper`handle upon' an axis generally paralleling th'e longitudinal axis of the handle, pivot means connectingth'e' dipper to said supporting mem-Y swiveling movement thereof.

vertical adjustment of the dipper, and rake brace means extending between the dipper and said member and adapted to x the dipper in adjusted position with respect to said member, said member with the dipper, the dipper pivot and the dipper rake brace being adapted to swivel on said handle so as to yield as a unit relative to the handle under twisting loads set up in disgingl' Y 2. The structure of claim 1, wherein yielding resistance means is associated with said swiveling supporting member by means of which resistance means the dipper handle is cushioned as against shocks from the dipper.

1 3; The structure of claim 1 wherein the dipper supporting member is a sleeve surrounding the end of the dipper handle and wherein stop means are provided for limiting the range of movement of the sleeve.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein the dipper supportingmember is a'sleeve surrounding the end of the dipper handle and wherein stop means are provided` for limiting the range of movement of the sleeve, together with yielding means for cushioning said movement.

5. In excavating equipment having a dipper and a dipper handle, supporting mechanism for thev dipper mounted to swivel on the handle about an axis generally paralleling the longitudina1 axis of the handle, said supporting mechanism including a rake brace for the dipper. 6. In excavating equipment having a dipper anda dipper handle, mechanism mounting the dipper on the handle including a swivel joint providing freedom for movement ofthe dipper with respect to the handle under the influence of twisting loads set up in digging, and stop means for establishinga limited range of freedom for twisting movement of the dipper, said stop means being displaceable whereby to provide for operation alternatively either with said freedom limited by the stop means or with said stop means displaced.

'1. 1n excavating equipment having a dipper and a dipper handle, mechanism mounting the dipper on the handle including a swivel joint providing freedom for movement of the dipper with respect `to the handle under the influence of twisting loads set up in digging, and means for cushioning twisting movement of the dipper, the cushioning means being displaceable, Whereby` to provide for operation alternatively with or without cushioning of said twisting movement.

8. In excavating equipment having a `dipper and a dipper handle, a dipper supporting sleeve mounted to swivel on the dipper handle about an axis generally paralleling the longitudinal axis of the handle, alined apertures through the sleeve and the dipper handle, and a stop pin extending through said apertures, the apertures in the -sleeve being formed to permit limited WILLIAM M. HUSTON. 

